Beat the Clock
by dramafreak37
Summary: During a routine night a CSI is kidnapped. The CSIs have 8 hours to find their friend afterwards they discover a shocking secret about the young CSI.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of CSI (although I wish I did) and I'm not making any money of this story. Please don't sue!

Grissom stood ready to give out assignments to his team.

"Catherine, Sara you guys have a robbery out on the strip Casino Royale."

"Ok, see you Griss. Sara said obviously wanting a different case.

"Nick, Greg you guys have a body dump."

"Cool ready Stokes?" Greg replied

"Ready, Greggo." Nick said. "I drive."

"Damn and I really wanted to listen to that new Interpol album."

"Next time Greggo." Nick said.

"Warrick you're with me we've got an apparent suicide."

"Alright see you guys."

"Later!" Greg yelled.

Nick and Greg approached their scene. The cop at the scene gave them a briefing.

"Ok couple walked over to a bench and felt a trash bag underneath his feet he opened it up and saw a hand."

"Ok thanks." Nick said. Another call came in over the police scanner.  
"You guys going to be ok for a minute? We cleared the scene we've got a call about a rape near here."

"Yeah, we'll be ok. Go ahead." Nick told them.  
"We'll be back as soon as we can." The officer told him.

"Wanna do the honors Greg?"

"Sure, why not?"

Greg carefully unwrapped the trash bag and opened it. He chuckled when he saw what was inside.

"What?" Nick asked. Greg showed him and a dummy was revealed to be in the bag.

"What do we do now?" Greg asked.

"Well, dust the bag for prints and the dummy for prints as well. We'll see what idiot did this and teach them a lesson." After a few minutes, Greg felt strange as if he was being followed. He looked around.

"You ok?" Nick asked as he looked up.  
"Yeah, I'm ok." He kept working when he heard footsteps approaching. A hooded figure was heading towards Nick with large pipe in its hand.

"Nicky, look out!" Greg yelled. Nick turned around with a gun in his hand when he was hit on the side of his head with the pipe. He immediately lost consciousness as he fell to the ground.

"Nicky!" Greg yelled again he attempted to call for help but was hit behind his head and fell to the ground. The figure dragged Greg away slowly as his cheek scraped against the concrete leaving a blood trail.


	2. Chapter 2

Grissom and Warrick approached the scene. The officer was apologizing repeatedly.  
"I swear the area was clear, I checked it. I'm so sorry." Brass was listening the young cops statement. Grissom approached him.

"Cop left the scene briefly to respond to a rape call. Said he checked the scene and when he came back Nick was unconscious and Greg was missing. Oh and the body dump, dummy in a bag it's just a set-up."

"Ok, thanks Brass." Grissom said as he walked toward the ambulance to talk to Nick. Nick stared out straight ahead he hadn't said a word since he woke up with paramedics treating him.

"Nick?" Grissom asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Nick said. "Did you guys find Greg?"

"No, Nick do you remember anything?"

"The only thing I remember was Greg yelling at me to look out then I blacked out."

"We've got Sara and Catherine coming and they'll help us process."

"I want to help."

"No Nick, you just rest for a little bit. We'll be done in a minute." Nick continued to stare out of the ambulance.  
"Will he be ok?" Grissom asked the paramedic.

"Oh yeah, he can leave with you guys whenever you guys leave."

"Ok thanks." Grissom swabbed the blood and the sidewalk and tested it even though he knew it was already blood. Warrick came back from the bushes with Greg's vest in a bag in one hand and a swab of blood in the other. He looked at Grissom with a somber look on his face. Sara and Catherine ran toward Grissom.

"What have you found?" Sara asked out of breath.

"Greg's vest with blood on it and blood on the ground."

"Oh God" Catherine said.

"Look for anything you can. Even take prints off the trash bag and the dummy. Whoever set this crime scene wanted one of us." After what seemed like hours, the CSIs finished processing. They hadn't found anything that led them closer to Greg. They headed back to the lab. Before they could enter the DNA lab to deliver the swabs of blood the receptionist stopped them.

"This came for you Dr. Grissom, while you were away." She pulled out a brown box and handed it to him. Grissom just stared at it and ran toward the assembly table. He told Sara to go to the DNA lab to drop off the swabs of blood. She looked angry but did what he said. He opened the package and found a computer cable plug-in. The team looked anxious as he plugged it into the computer. Sara came back anxious to see what they had found.

Meanwhile, Greg opened his eyes his vision blurred. He felt a stinging pain on his right check but didn't see the cut which was now bandaged. He noticed that he was now shirtless he tried to move his hands but noticed that they were cuffed above his head. He tried to break free of them but with no success. His feet were also cuffed. He was laying on some kind of table. He saw the same figure with a mask over their face walking over him. He tried to shout but noticed that his speech was muffled by a piece of duct tape over his mouth. The figure knelt down beside them. Their voice was soft

"You're going to appreciate that gag soon enough." The figure smiled and left to a smaller room.

The CSIs had found the computer cable led them to a web site with a message saying Click to find him. Grissom clicked the link but it lead to a black screen.  
"This isn't doing anything." Nick said impatiently.

"Be patient." Grissom told him.

"I can't be patient Greg's out there somewhere and I'm not just gonna sit here." As soon as he said this the figure appeared on the screen.

"Hello CSIs, you will notice that poor Greg is missing. Well, I know his exact location but before we get down to that would you like see your CSI?" She turned the camera turned Greg and the whole team gasped.

"Here's what will happen." The figure said. A buzz of electricity was heard Greg began to scream and shake uncontrollably. They all gasped and jumped back in surprise. After a few seconds the electricity stopped and Greg stopped screaming.  
"Every half an hour Greg will be shocked with electricity that will enter through the cuffs on his hands and feet. Each half an hour the shock will become longer and deadlier until the 8th hour and I will deliver the fatal shock. I will be delivering clues to where your friend is. I suggest one of you stay at the computer at all times. You have 8 hours beat the clock." The camera turned toward Greg who was looking around desperate with tears falling down his face. Nick placed his head in his hands. Sara placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him but she felt just as scared and helpless as he did.  
"I'll take the first shift." Grissom said somberly. "Catherine, get to Archie now and see if he can get a trace on this. Everyone stay at the computer for 2 hours each. Who wants second shift?"

Sara offered "I'll do it."

The CSIs began the unpleasant game of waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

After Grissom's shift at the computer ended Sara came up to him.

"Hey I'll take over."

"Thanks"

"Did they show anything?"

"They showed a picture of a sign that said City Limits so Greg is near the City Limits of Vegas is what I get from it."

"Ok, I called Greg's parents. They were going to get on the first available flight here."

"I'll wait for them. Thanks Sara."

Very soon after Sara and Grissom switched places Greg's parents arrived. Grissom took them into his office to talk.

"Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Sanders, I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances." Greg's mother did not respond.  
"Thank you Mr. Grissom. And you can call us Elaine and Nathan."  
"Ok"

"What exactly has happened to my son?" Elaine asked her eyes wet with tears.

"Greg's been kidnapped. During a fake crime scene someone snuck up on him and CSI Stokes and knocked them both out and kidnapped Greg."

"What do they want?" She asked

"I'm sorry?" Grissom replied

"You say he was kidnapped. Do they want money? We'll give them anything we just want our baby back."

"I'm sorry Elaine but there was no ransom. We believe that whoever kidnapped Greg has a personal reason for the kidnapping."

"So what do we do to get him back?" she asked

"Our crime lab's doing everything in their power to locate Greg."

"So wait a minute, how do you even know that Greg is still alive?" Nathan asked. Grissom looked conflicted but decided to take them to the lab to show them the video evidence. Greg's mother immediately placed her hands over her mouth and began crying.

"Our lab is working on finding a trace on the website. I'm very sorry." Grissom told her.

"My baby boy." She said stroking the screen. She walked away and continued sobbing. Nathan stared at the screen.

"What's this bastard doing to him?" he asked.

"Every half and hour Greg is shocked with electricity through the cuffs on his arms and legs. They say they will continue to do this until they deliver the fatal shock after 8 hours." Grissom knew that Greg would be shocked in just a few minutes.

"Does Greg have any enemies?" Grissom asked.

"No Greg's a wonderful boy. But wait a minute. There was a girl a while ago that Greg dated while he was a teenager and she didn't take it well when he ended the relationship."

"Do you remember her name?" Grissom asked

"I believe it was Bethany but I don't remember the last name."

"Do you remember what she looked like?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"That's ok." Grissom watched the screen. Surely enough he heard a buzz of electricity Greg began to scream and shake again. Greg's father winced at the sound.  
"Oh Greg, who the hell is doing this to you?" Nathan wondered out loud. He went over to his wife and she buried her head into his chest. Grissom wished there was more he could do for them. And amazingly Nick came with the answer.

"Archie did it, he got the trace." Nick explained. Grissom followed him to the lab his heart hoping that they found Greg.


	4. Chapter 4

Nick pulled out a map on the assembly table.

"Here" he said pointing to a spot near the dessert.

"We traced the site to Brushy Fork Road. It's near the city limits of Las Vegas and if you continue on you'll reach the Black Rock dessert."

"Ok, lets go." Grissom replied. Before he left he talked to Archie.

"Stay near the computer, tell us as soon as you see us on the monitor."

"Ok, go get Greg back." Archie replied.

"Let's go." Grissom said to the team as the headed to their cars.

Brass led the team and turned on his lights and sirens. The rest of the team did the same thing. Meanwhile, Greg laid on the table when he heard police sirens. He jerked his head up as far as he could. He couldn't believe it, rescue. The team stopped their cars and got out slowly.

"This building." Nick said walking across the street to an old abandoned cabin. Greg started to shout when he saw the lights through the window. His kidnapper came out and looked out the small window. They smiled evilly.

"They're not coming for you." They said. Greg refused to believe this and continued shouting. Across the street Brass opened the door.  
"Las Vegas Police Department!" he yelled. The CSIs looked around and were shocked when they didn't see Greg but could hear his pleas for help.

"Greg, we're coming!" Nick yelled. He heard another voice.

"Shut up." It said quietly. Greg continued to shout. Nick walked into a different room where he heard the voices get louder.

"Shut up!" the voice said more firmly. But Greg wouldn't stop.  
"Greggo!" Nick yelled. He entered another room but found a sheet over something. With his gun out in front of him. He pulled the sheet off to reveal a computer with Greg and his kidnapper on the screen.  
"Shut up!" The voice said again. A buzz of electricity was heard and Greg shook and screamed again. Nick was watching this from another computer screen.

"Son of a bitch!" he screamed. He kicked the table that held the computer. He placed his head in his hands. Grissom and the other team members rushed to where Nick was.

"Nick what happened?"  
"The trace led us to this computer. Not to Greg." The team sighed.

"Process the computer." Grissom said to his team.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Someone placed the computer here to mislead us. Let's find out who. Nick, head back to the lab and watch to see if the kidnapper offers anymore clues."  
"Sure thing boss." Nick replied. The team began processing the computer. Nick drove back to the lab. He wanted nothing more than for Greg to be back. He approached the computer and startled Archie.

"What happened? Did you guys make it to the location?" He asked.

"Yeah, but the trace led us to a computer that the site was transmitting from."

"Oh." Archie said looking defeated.  
"Have they shown anything else yet?"

"No."

"How's he holding up?"

"He's doing ok. He still shakes and screams when he gets shocked but who wouldn't." Archie looked sick at the thought. Nick saw that he was clearly uncomfortable watching his friend being tortured.  
"Hey, go grab some coffee. I'll watch it."

"Ok, thanks." Archie walked away and looked one more time at the screen. Nick wiped away tears from his eyes looking at his friend so helpless. The kidnapper came in and ripped off Greg's gag crudely. Greg gasped then asked.  
"What the hell are you doing?"

"I haven't had much fun with you yet. I wanna hear you beg for death. I want to punish you for what you did."

"Yeah, what the hell did I do?" Greg asked angrily.

"Shh." Was all the kidnapper said as they lit a lighter and burned the blade of a knife. Greg's eyes grew wide.  
"No please don't." he said.

"No no you psycho." Nick said quietly.

"I'm sorry Greggo." The took the knife and slowly dragged the blade across his arm. Greg refused to scream he would just be giving this psycho what they wanted. He gritted his teeth so hard he thought he would chip one of his teeth. They stopped after they saw a thin line of blood coming from his arm.  
"Hmm, not hard enough Greg?" they asked. He refused to answer. They took the knife and dragged it across his skin again only this time started to dig into his arm with the knife. Greg held his composure until he felt the knife hit a bone. He couldn't stop the scream that rose out of his throat.  
"That's better." They said. They dragged the blade across again and dug until they hit the bone. Greg screamed again louder.

"Stop it you fucking psycho!" Nick yelled at the computer. Greg now had tears running down his cheeks.  
"Just do it. Kill me." Greg begged.

"No no Greggo. You're stronger than that. Hold on." He said desperate.

"So you really want to die?" the kidnapper asked.

"Yes." Greg said. He was exhausted physically and mentally. He couldn't take anymore. They held the knife to his throat and Greg waited for the blade to slice. He began to cry as he thought of his family and team members.

"You don't want to die." The kidnapper said.

"What are you talking about? Yes I do." Greg said.

"What about your team mates? The one Nicky is it?"  
"Don't you dare talk about Nick."

"How will he feel when they find your body on this table? And Sara the one you are so infatuated with how will she react? And dear Grissom the one you so want to impress, he won't be very happy to find you dead. Oh and your mother. She'll be devastated that her only baby is dead. Is that what you want?"

"How do you know all of this?" Greg asked.

"Some CSI you are. Isn't it obvious? I've been stalking you. So are you really ready to die?" Greg didn't reply.

"I didn't think so." They stuffed the gag back on his mouth and left. Nick began to cry at the lab.

"I'm sorry Greg. I'm so sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours had passed and Catherine and Grissom watched the computer for any other clues. Warrick, Sara, and Nick were in the lab trying to piece together what the killer had told them so far.  
"Ok so they showed us City Limits which was near the spot we thought Greg was. They showed us electrical wires which we thought symbolized electricity possibly for an electrical company." Sara said.

"I'll do a search on the computer on electrical departments near Brushy Fork Road." Warrick said.

"Thanks."  
"How much time does he have left?" Nick asked.

"About an hour." Sara replied. "We're working as fast as we can." She added when she saw Nicks face fall. Meanwhile the kidnapper appeared on screen. They ripped off Greg's gag again.  
"Would you like to say your goodbyes?" they asked.

"For what?" Greg asked.

"I've been recording you, you idiot. Your little CSI friends have been watching this all this time. So do you want to say goodbye to them?" Greg nodded. They left as Greg spoke to the camera that the kidnapper pointed to.

"Nick, don't blame yourself for what happened. You couldn't have prevented it. I'll miss you." Greg stifled back tears.

"Whoever's watching this tell my mom and dad I love them and that I'm sorry that I caused them so much trouble throughout their lives. Sara, I'll miss you more than words can say. You're a wonderful person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Catherine, I can't begin to describe how great you've been to me all these years. Warrick, thanks for straightening me out and teaching me the basics of being a CSI. Grissom, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you gave me such a wonderful opportunity. I'm sorry for ever disappointing you." Greg began to openly cry now and Catherine couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face.

"You never disappointed me Greg." Grissom said out loud. He noticed that the kidnapper had written something on a piece of paper. It read Sherman's Electricity.

"Catherine, keep watching the tape."  
"Ok Griss." She said quietly. Grissom ran to the lab to Warrick, Sara, and Nick.

"Warrick do a background check on Sherman's Electricity."  
"I just did. I typed in electrical companies near Brushy Fork Road and this was the only one that came up."

"What do you know about it?"

"A man named Sherman Bradford owned it and it was pretty successful until the 90s when they went out of business. The building still exists. The address is..Oh my God!"

"What?" Grissom asked. Everyone stared at Warrick.

"It's right across the street from where the trace led us."

"We've got him." Grissom said.

"But wait what if it's a trap like last time?" Nick asked.

"We'll have Archie keep an eye out for us again. We can be back in plenty of time if it's not the right building. I'll tell Catherine." Grissom rushed back to the AV lab to tell her what they found. All the CSIs rushed to their cars.  
"Ok the kidnapper is not going to be happy if they hear us near the scene again. So everyone turn off your lights and sirens when I say so." They all nodded. Brass led the cars to the familiar scene. Halfway there Grissom gave the signal and they shut off their lights. But continued going faster and faster. Greg laid on the table waiting for death to take him. The CSIs finally arrived at the scene.

"I'll look in that window." Warrick said.

"Be careful." Grissom warned him. Warrick looked in and immediately saw Greg. Greg happened to turn toward the window and saw Warrick. Warrick put his fingers to his lips warning the young CSI to be quiet. He mouthed "You'll be ok." And returned to the CSIs. The kidnapper noticed Greg staring at the window. They came in with a knife.

"What are you staring at?"  
"Nothing." Greg said clearly despite the fact the gag was over his mouth. The kidnapper ripped off the gag.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

"I have ways of getting answers out of you." They pulled a roll of duct tape out of their pocket and ripped off a piece. As they were getting ready to put it over Greg's mouth he bit their hand as hard as he could. He broke the skin and caused the hand to bleed. The kidnapper screamed and hit Greg with their free hand.

"You stupid bastard!" they screamed as they placed the duct tape over his mouth. They took the knife and pierced his stomach. Greg groaned in pain.

"You gonna tell me what you saw?" Greg didn't respond. They took the knife and dragged it across the stomach. Greg screamed as the knife cut him.

"Do I need to do it again?" they asked. Suddenly the door burst open.

"Las Vegas Police Department!" Brass screamed. Greg sighed with relief as tears fell down his face.  
"Put the weapon down, put the knife down you fucking psycho!" Brass yelled. The kidnapper kneeled down but quickly stood up and placed the knife over Greg's stomach.

"Take one more goddamn step toward me and I'll stab him. Don't believe me, try it." Greg screamed "No, No!" Grissom could hear despite the gag over his mouth.  
"Don't worry Greg." Grissom said. His teammates huddled together.

"Ok guys. Put your guns down." Grissom whispered. Nick interrupted

"And give this psycho what they want? No fucking way!"

"We're just going to put them down for a second Nick then you all lean down like you're going to pick yours up. Brass you actually pick it up and shoot them." Brass nodded. Grissom stood and faced the kidnapper. He put his gun down.

"Ok you win." Greg began to scream again but he caught look at Grissom's face and knew they had a plan. One by one the CSIs put their guns down.  
"That's better." The kidnapper said as they lowered the knife. All the CSIs bent down like they were getting ready to pick the gun up. They held the knife over Greg's stomach but didn't realize Brass had grabbed his weapon and quickly shot it. The kidnapper started to fall but the team realized in horror that they still held the knife. The scene seemed to play in slow motion as the knife stabbed Greg in the abdomen. The gag couldn't muffle the piercing scream the hit the CSIs like they had been stabbed with the knife. Brass went over to check the kidnapper and the CSIs hurdled around their friend. Greg wouldn't stop screaming and crying.  
"Greg" Grissom said trying to calm him.

"Greg, Greggo!" Greg stopped screaming. Grissom grabbed onto Greg's hand.

"I know you're in a lot of pain right now. And we're getting an ambulance here right now. But listen to me. We're going to remove these cuffs. While we're getting these off and afterwards you need to stay as still as you can. Ok?" Greg nodded.  
"Squeeze my hand if you understand." Greg squeezed as hard as he could.

"Good, we're going to get this gag off." Nick came over to his side and placed his fingers on the gag.  
"Do it fast Nick. Like a band aid." Nick nodded and ripped off the gag as fast as he could. Greg sobbed and repeated

"Thank you, thank you." Nick held back tears in his eyes as he held onto Greg's hand.  
"You're ok now. You're ok."

Grissom found a small key near the table and inserted it into the lock that was locking the cuffs. The lock fell off.  
"Warrick place your hands over the wound. Stop it from bleeding." Warrick went over and placed his hands tenderly on the spot where the knife was sticking out. Greg hissed in pain.

"I'm sorry Greg." Warrick said. Sara came over and held onto Greg's other hand. Catherine gently rubbed his arm. Grissom removed the lock from the other cuff.  
"Ok lower his arms slowly." Nick and Sara lowered them carefully. Grissom moved on to Greg's feet. Something alarmed Warrick.

"Grissom, his breathing's labored."

"Talk to him. Make sure he doesn't pass out." Grissom said calmly but deep down he was very concerned.

"Hey, Greggo? Talk to me ok? Do you feel ok?"

"Yeah, fine just a little bit of pain. I want to go to sleep."

"No Greg, don't fall asleep ok? Talk to us."

"What about?" Greg asked wheezing.  
"Anything."

Greg wheezed again and something caught Nick's eye, blood out of the corner of his mouth.  
"He's swallowing blood!" Nick yelled.

"Put his head up let him spit out any of the blood." Nick lifted his head gently. What seemed like a sea of blood came slowly out of Greg's mouth. Nick look horrified as he laid Greg's head back down. After Grissom removed the final lock from the cuff they noticed something alarming.

Greg wasn't breathing.

Grissom moved beside Greg. Nick moved out of the way but continued holding his hand. Grissom blew air into Greg's fragile body. He began chest impressions. "Come on Greg, breathe." Grissom continued to blow air into his body and began more compressions.  
"Damn it Greg, come on, come on." He blew more air into his body and tried more compressions but Greg didn't respond. Catherine walked away and began sobbing. They lost him. Sara had tears falling down her face.  
"Grissom." She said lost for words.

Grissom pounded on Greg chest with his fist.  
"Come on Greg, come on!" he screamed. Sara let go of his hand and hugged Catherine. Both sobbing in each others arms. Warrick pulled his hands off Greg's stomach and went over to Sara and Catherine. He put an arm around both of them he held back his own tears. Brass stood outside waiting for the ambulance. He'd seen quite a few things in his years of a police officer but couldn't handle watching the older man beat Greg's chest and beg for a response. Inside Grissom continued blowing air into Greg's body and pounding on his chest. Nick couldn't handle it anymore.

"Grissom, Grissom stop he's not going to come back he's…he's". Grissom finally stopped and stared at Greg.  
"It's ok you did what you could." Nick said gently. Grissom shook his head.  
"No, No." he said as he leaned down to blow more air into Greg's body.

"Grissom, no."

"Come on!" Grissom yelled as he performed more compressions.  
"Stop!" Nick yelled.

"Come on!" Grissom yelled as he pounded on his chest. After a few more minutes of compressions Grissom stopped. Being as stubborn as he was he blew one last breath of air into Greg's body and preformed 4 more compressions. He pounded his chest one final time but this time they heard a loud gasp. Greg was gasping and coughing. Grissom moved his head to the side. Nick, Sara, Catherine, and Warrick quickly huddled around him. All of them were crying with happiness.

"Just breathe deep." Grissom said gently to Greg.

"Good job man." Nick said to Greg. Brass came back in to see what happened. He saw all the CSIs around Greg and feared the worst.  
"He's ok Brass. He's breathing." Grissom said.

"Thank god, don't scare us again like that Sanders." Greg managed to smile weakly. They heard sirens. The paramedics arrived and placed the kidnapper on a stretcher. The next paramedics put Greg on a stretcher and put him into the ambulance.

"I'm going with him." Nick said.

"Ok, go ahead. Call us when you get there." Grissom said. Nick followed Greg and the ambulance doors shut behind them.

"Thanks Grissom." Sara said.  
"For what?" Grissom asked.  
"For not giving up on him."

"I know Greg and I knew he wouldn't go down without a fight."  
"Let's get back to the lab and let everyone know we got him. The lab techs are going to be happy." Catherine said. The CSIs walked back to their cars together.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the late update.

Nick held onto his Greg's hand the entire ride to the hospital. The paramedics had placed an IV in his arm and an oxygen mask on his face. They also placed gauze around where the knife was sticking out of Greg's body, they had to place multiple strips of it on because each one was soaked in blood.

"We're almost there Greggo. Hang on."

"Nick" Greg whispered barely audible.

"What, what you need man?"

"Stay, don't leave me." Greg said. Nick couldn't stand the tone of his voice. It sounded like a lost little child.

"Of course man, I'm not leaving you."

Greg was silent the rest of the ride until the finally arrived at the hospital. Paramedics rushed Greg out of the ambulance. Nick followed holding onto Greg's hand. He was immediately rushed into the emergency room. The nurses spoke to Nick.

"You'll need to leave, only doctors and nurses beyond this point."  
"I promised him I wouldn't leave."

"I'm sorry, you'll have, to it's the hospital rules." Nick looked defeated.

"Can I at least tell him that I'll be waiting for him?"  
"Of course." Nick stood beside Greg.  
"I've got to go man, I've got to let these guys do their jobs."

"No, don't you said you wouldn't leave." Greg said his voice cracking. Nick cringed at the sound.

"I'm sorry man, I have to. The hospital's going to force me out if I don't." Nick tried to let go of Greg's hand but he just held on tighter.

"No, no please" Greg started to cry. Nick felt like Greg stabbed the knife into him.  
"I'll be waiting for you when they're done." He managed to let go of Greg's hand and was lead away by a nurse.

"No Nick, come back!" Greg yelled as loud as he could. Nick couldn't look back and the nurse led him into the waiting room.  
"What's your name?" She asked.

"Nick Stokes." Nick mumbled.

"Mr. Stokes, Mr. Sanders needs to go into surgery to remove the knife from his abdomen. I need to inform you that the surgery is extremely risky. Without it, he will surely die, but the chance of him dying in surgery is about 50/50, and even if he survives the surgery he could die afterwards of complications. Do you understand?"

Nick nodded at the nurse.

"As soon as I get an update about his condition I'll inform you."

"Thanks." Nick sighed.

He sat down and got out his phone to call the team.

Meanwhile, Greg continued to yell and cry for Nick after he left. A doctor kneeled down next to him and got his attention.  
"Mr. Sanders, I understand that you're scared but your friend can't be with you right now. You'll need to have surgery to remove the knife. But the surgery is risky, there's a likely chance that you could die during the surgery. Do you understand?"

Greg nodded.

"Do we have your permission to do the surgery?"  
Greg nodded again.

"Ok, we're taking you to the operating room." They wheeled him throughout the hospital and into a large room. They placed cardiac monitor on his chest and the room was filled with a fast beeping. They placed plastic tubes in Greg's nose and let the anesthesia flow. Greg instantly fell into a sea of black. The heart rate slowed down . Doctors began to operate. Shortly afterward they heard a steady beeping.  
"He's flat lining! Get the crash cart!"  
"Charged?" The doctor asked.

"Charged."  
"Clear." He brought the paddles down on Greg's bare chest. His body jerked off the table.

"Charged?" The doctor asked. The nurse nodded.

"Clear!" The paddles shocked him again and Greg jerked into the air again. They charged the paddles again. The paddles shocked Greg's body one last time and a low beeping sound returned. The doctor sighed and continued to work.

Greg heard voices but he couldn't understand a word they were saying. He felt pain all over his body. He didn't think he should open his eyes but he did anyway.

"Hey, he's getting up." He heard a familiar voice say. He felt a gentle hand rub through his hair.  
"Greg, sweetie are you ok?" asked a soft voice.

Greg opened his eyes to see Sara and Warrick watching him. They both smiled when he looked at him.

"Hey, how you doing man?" Warrick said.

"Warrick." Greg managed to croak before he started coughing.

"Whoa, you ok?" Warrick asked. Sara appeared with a cup and straw.

"Here, drink this." She said gently. Greg took a long sip.

"Feel better?" She asked.

"Yeah, except for the fact that I feel like I was stabbed." Greg joked. The rest of the team smiled.

"You're probably pretty sore, you'll feel like that for a few days." Catherine said continuing to rub through his hair.

"Yeah, hey where's Grissom?" Greg asked suddenly noticing he wasn't there.

"Oh, he had a case to work on. He'll be here later." Nick said.

Grissom walked through the hallways of a different hospital. He stopped at the reception desk and asked the nurse a question. He thanked her and headed toward a room. An officer guarded the room and Grissom showed him his badge. The officer nodded and let him in. Grissom saw a young women laying on the bed.  
"How's your leg?" He asked.

"It feels like a bullet went into it." She replied sarcastically. "Why are you here?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Forget it I'm not saying anything to you."

"I just want to know why you wanted to hurt Greg Sanders."

She grimaced when he said Greg's name.

"How much do you know about Greg Sanders?" She asked suddenly

"I know enough that he didn't deserve what happened to him."

"Maybe you should look through his personal record. You might find something surprising."

"What, what do you mean?" But she refused to answer. Grissom headed back to the lab to find out what she meant.


	7. Chapter 7

Grissom went back to the lab and looked through Greg's personal file. He noticed something he never had before. He saw the name Bethany Synder under spouse.

"_There was a girl a while ago that Greg dated while he was a teenager and she didn't take it well when he ended the relationship, I believe her name was Bethany but I don't remember the last name." _Greg's fathers words echoed in Grissom's head as he checked for Bethany in the AFIS system. Bethany did have a record, breaking and entering when she was 19. That was it; so far, they also did a psych profile on her and determined that she had sociopathic tendencies. She also spent some time in a mental institution. Grissom rushed back to the hospital. He burst into Greg's room.

"Greg, who is Bethany?" He demanded. Greg jumped up when he heard the door open then groaned in pain.

"Jeez Grissom, I'm already here for a stab wound do you want to add a heart attack to my long list of medical problems?"

"I'm sorry, but I need to know, who is Bethany Snyder?"

"How did you find out about her?"

"I looked in your personal file and found her listed under spouse."

"She's not my wife but she was at one time. When we were in High School we started a relationship that turned serious. She was a geek just like me and we were the cute nerdy couple in school. Well we started dating as sophomores and continued to date in my senior year. The night of graduation, she was worried about how it would affect our relationship since I was going to Stanford and she was going to Hope International, they were very far away. So I came up with a dumb solution, I proposed to her. Instead of going to graduation parties we went to a 24-hour chapel and got married. We kept it completely secret. No one knew, not even our best friends. First everything was great, we'd visit each other every weekend. But then when she visited me she'd start going out and getting drunk. She'd come back to my dorm and we'd fight. Finally, one night she took it way to far, I went back really late because I knew she was drunk. I got home about 2 in the morning. She was there and demanded to know why I was gone so long. I told her I was out with friends which was the truth but she didn't believe me and accused me of cheating on her. I tried to calm her down but she wouldn't listen and threw a beer bottle at my head. It didn't hit luckily, but I'd had it. I grabbed my stuff and checked into a hotel. In the morning I went back to my parent's house, I told them everything and begged for forgiveness. They forgave me of course, but when I was in bed that night I heard someone break-in. Luckily, I was right next to a phone and called the cops. I heard someone go into my parent's room and demand to know where I was. Thankfully, the cops showed up quick and I pressed charges. I also annuled the marriage. I found out later that they did a psych profile and that she had sociopath tendencies. I know that she spent some time in a mental institution, but I haven't heard about her for years."

"Thanks for the information Greg."

"Why did you ask about her, Grissom? Do you think she had something to do with this?"

"You know, that I don't assume anything Greg, but I do think she was involved." Greg sighed heavily.

"Get feeling better." Grissom said as he left.

"Thanks Grissom."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the long delay guys. The Holidays and school got the best of me. Authors Note: This story still includes some of my favorite characters: Grissom, Sara, and Warrick.

Nick and Warrick managed to track down Bethany. She sulked into the interrogation room with the two of them when Nick began to talk.

"CSI Greg Sanders was tortured and almost killed two weeks ago."

"So, what does that have to do with me?" Bethany asked nastily.

"Well, considering the fact that you were his spouse and he pressed charges against you I'd say you'd have a lot to do with it." Nick replied.

"I guess he's filled your head with lies. That jackass was abusive to me, that's why I annulled the marriage. How bad did he get hurt anyway?"

"He was stabbed and will have to be in the hospital for a few more days." Nick replied angrily.

"Good riddance." She scoffed. Nick was about ready to explode when Warrick held him back. He shook his head and whispered she's not worth it.

"Nice try, but according to the police report we found, Greg annulled the marriage and claims you abused him. Not to mention your psych profile, which shows, you have sociopathic tendencies. Also, we looked through you work resume and found out you are an electrician. Greg Sanders was tortured with electricity." Warrick told her smugly.

"Well, of course he claimed that. But take my word the bastard abused me. And so what if I'm an electrician? You think I'm the only female electrician in Las Vegas? Can I go, my best friend's in the hospital and I'd kind of like to go see her."

"What is she in the hospital for?" Nick asked suspicious.

"None of your fucking businesses." She replied hatefully.

"Well, you can't go just yet. We've got a warrant for your DNA, fingerprints, and to search your house." Warrick said.

"What the hell?! Based on what?" She replied.

"Your marriage to the victim and your psych profile, not to mention your line of work." Warrick said. He grabbed a swab from his kit.

"Now, open your mouth." Bethany did so grudgingly. He then got a case of ink out and a ten card. Bethany sighed angrily and put each of her fingers in the ink, and pressed firmly on the ten card. Warrick got his samples and went to the lab. Nick left Bethany with the officer who led her to a holding cell. He met Grissom at Bethany's house. They searched the house from top to bottom. At first, they became afraid because they couldn't find anything. Then Grissom found the jackpot, an electrician's jacket with Bethany's name on it. Nick also hit it big when he found plans outlining Greg's kidnapping and murder. They both went back to the lab and approached Bethany in her holding cell.

"I'd like for you to write something for me." Grissom said handing her a pencil and pad.

"What?"

"Just a few sentences, write the electricity will kill."

"Why in God's name do you want me to write that?"

"Because we found outlined plans in your house about how to kill Greg Sanders. We need to be sure; you're the one who wrote them." Bethany rolled her eyes, and took the paper and pad and wrote the sentence electricity will kill three times. She handed the paper back to Grissom.

"Satisfied?" She asked sarcastically. Grissom nodded and walked away.

In the lab, Grissom compared the handwriting on the planes with Bethany's handwriting. It was a perfect match. Meanwhile, Nick compared her fingerprints with the ones they found on the table. They matched some of the fingerprints.

"The others are her friend Heather's, the girl in the hospital. I took some of her fingerprints a while ago and matched them. She's been secured until she fully heals and then she'll be transported to a local jail. I'll talk to Brass about an arrest warrant.

"Thanks Griss." Nick said. He couldn't wait to nail both of the girls, he wanted them to suffer as much as they'd made Greg suffer. He decided that since his shift was almost over he would visit Greg. He needed to see him and let him know that they almost had the people that hurt him.

The next chapter will probably be the last. Thanks to all for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

After much searching and exhaustion, the CSIs were able to convict Bethany Snyder and Heather James for the crime against Greg. Grissom and Nick brought Bethany to interrogation where they presented all the evidence they had found against her. Bethany gave them a cold stare as Brass stood behind her and began to cuff her.

"You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Greg Sanders."  
She stood up as he led her down the hallway.

Across town, in a hospital Heather James was discharged and followed a uniformed officer to his car.

Nick watched as Bethany walked slowly down the hallway, a triumphant grin etched on his face. Grissom watched briefly before telling Nick he was going to the hospital. Grissom arrived to find that Greg was sound asleep. Deciding that the poor kid had been through enough, he let him sleep. He found a pen and some paper on the end table next to Greg's bed. He wrote on the pad

_We got them. Call me if you want more information._

He left the pad on the end table and smiled at the young man in the hospital bed. About an hour later, in his office, Grissom heard his cell ring. He looked at the caller ID to see Greg's name. He opened the phone,

"Grissom." He answered.

"I want to know, everything." He heard Greg say on the other end.

Grissom sighed,

"Ok, I'll be right over." He shut his phone and went back to the hospital. He found Greg's room and opened the door to find Greg curled up on the right side. Grissom grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. He sighed before beginning.

"Ok, here's what happened."

The end, thanks to all who read and reviewed.


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